Bronze Birch Borer

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Bronze Birch Borer TREE DOCTOR TIPS Bronze Birch Borer (Agrilus anxius) When considering planting a birch tree, select a well- drained, sandy or loamy soil. Birches struggle in clay description: soils. Keep the tree healthy by proper fertilizing, watering, mulching and managing other insects and diseases. The bronze birch borer (Agrilus anxius) is a destructive Fertilizing can increase a birch’s tolerance to borer attack beetle that feeds on birch trees. Signs of this pest include and help it overcome previous borer damage. Plant more off-color and sparse foliage in the upper canopy of the tolerant species such as native paperbark, Betula papyrifera. birch tree, dead branches in the upper crown and swollen ridges on the trunk and branches. Small, D-shaped holes in the bark are the exit points of the adult beetle. hosts: This borer feeds on birch trees weakened from drought, poor growing conditions or other insect infestations, such as birch leafminer. European birch, Betula pendula, is highly prone to borer attack. The native paper birch (Betula papyrifera) is less susceptible, but not immune. biology and symptoms: Borer larvae make long, winding tunnels under the bark. This disrupts the vascular tissues, causing the trunk or branch to die from lack of water and nutrients. management: Applications in early to mid spring can reduce further borer infestations. Applications need to be made on rough areas of the bark on the main trunk and limbs, and a especially at branch-trunk ridges. However, do not expect to control larvae that are already inside the tree. figure a. a bronze birch borer on the exterior of a birch tree with visible d-shaped exit holes on the trunk A recent treatment involves using a soil-injected product (Steven Katovich, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org) in late summer/fall or early spring to reduce borer damage during the next growing season. The scientists at The Davey Institute laboratory and research facility support our arborists and technicians in diagnosing and prescribing based on the latest arboricultural science. For specific treatment and application details, your arborist may consult The Davey Institute PHC Handbook. © the davey institute Trees are important! Consider saving this Tree Doctor Tip for future reference, or please recycle it. tdt7155.

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Bronze Birch Borer
Pest Profile Photo credit: Tom Murray, BugGuide.net Common Name: Bronze Birch Borer Scientific Name: Agrilus anxius (Gory) Order and Family: Coleoptera; Buprestidae Size and Appearance: Length (mm) Appearance Egg Oval and flattened Start out creamy white in color but turn yellow with age Length: 1.5 mm Laid singly or in clusters of 6-7 in branch crevices Width: 1 mm and cracks Larva/Nymph Head is light brown Pale white in color 2-38 mm Flattened appearance Two short, brown pincers Adult Slender, olive-bronze in color with coppery reflections Females: 7.5-11.5 mm Males have a greenish colored head Males: 6.5-10 mm Females have a coppery-bronze colored head Pupa (if Creamy white and then darkens applicable) Pupation occurs within chambers under the bark Type of feeder (Chewing, sucking, etc.): Both larvae and adults have chewing mouthparts. Host plant/s: European white birch, white-barked Himalayan paper birch, gray birch, sweet birch, yellow birch, cottonwood, and sometimes river birch. Description of Damage (larvae and adults): Bronze birch borers prefer trees that are stressed due to drought or defoliation. Larvae feed on the phloem and cambium while creating numerous galleries, which eventually alters nutrient transport and kills off the root system while leading to further necrosis in the major branches and main stem. Adult beetles feed on leaves but do not harm the overall health of the tree. References: Iowa State University. (2003-2016). Species Agrilus anxius - Bronze Birch Borer. Retrieved March 20, 2016, from http://bugguide.net/node/view/56062/tree Katovich, S.
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Bronze Birch Borer
Field Identification Guide Bronze birch borer Photograph: Karl W. Hillig W. Karl Photograph: Funded by the EU’s LIFE programme Bronze birch borer The bronze birch borer (BBB, Agrilus anxius), a beetle belonging to the family Buprestidae, is a serious North American insect pest of birch trees Betula( species). The BBB causes extensive mortality to birch populations and can attack trees with stems greater than 2 cm in diameter and branches of 1 cm in diameter. Damage is caused by larvae feeding on the inner bark and cambium of the tree. Repeated attacks and the excavation of numerous winding galleries by the larvae cause disruption to water and nutrient transportation within the tree, leading to death of tissues above and below ground. In many cases tree mortality is observed within just a few years of the appearance of the first symptoms. Species affected All species of birch are susceptible to this pest. In its natural range of North America, BBB is considered to be a secondary pest of the native birch. In contrast, Asian and European species such as our native silver and downy birch (Betula pendula and B. pubescens) are much more susceptible to this pest. Signs and BBB infestation is usually difficult to detect until the symptoms symptoms become severe because much of the insect’s life cycle is hidden within the tree; eggs are laid in crevices, the larvae feed in the inner bark and pupation occurs in the sapwood. In most cases, the beetles have already become established and have spread to new hosts by the time they are discovered.
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Resistance Mechanisms of Birch to Bronze Birch Borer Vanessa L
Resistance mechanisms of birch to bronze birch borer Vanessa L. Muilenburg1, Pierluigi (Enrico) Bonello2, Daniel A. Herms1 1Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural Research and Developmental Center (OARDC), Wooster, OH 2Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH contact: [email protected] Abstract Results • Outbreaks of bronze birch borer, Agrilus anxius, a North American wood-boring beetle, have occurred periodically over the last • 14 compounds were analyzed in detail 100 years, causing extensive tree mortality. (Fig. 6) revealing quantitative and (potentially) qualitative differences • Little is known about mechanisms underlying tree resistance to wood-boring insects, but previous studies have suggested that between the two species. secondary metabolites and wound periderm (callus) tissue may play a role. • PC 1 and 2 showed clear variation in • North American birches (Betula spp.) are much more resistant to bronze birch borer than exotic species that lack a phloem chemistry between species coevolutionary history. (Fig 7A). • We compared patterns of constitutive phenolic chemistry and the rate of wound periderm formation in phloem tissues of North American paper birch (B. papyrifera) to exotic European white birch (B. pendula). • Phenolic compounds 1, 10, 11, 12 contributed most variation to PC 1, Fig. 6. Phenolic profiles of paper birch and European white birch phloem. • Six phenolic compounds were in higher concentrations in phloem of paper birch than in European white birch and might be while phenolic compounds 3, 4, 5, 9 involved in resistance. contributed most to PC 2 (Fig 7B). • There were no interspecific differences in rate of wound periderm formation.
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Bronze Birch Borer Agrilus Anxious
Bronze birch borer Agrilus anxious Bronze birch borer is a pest of birch trees, especially white barked birches such as Betula papyrifera, B. populifolia, B. pendula and B. maximowicziana. B. papyrifera is much more tolerant of bronze birch borer than B. pendula. Adults are similar in shape Insects overwinter as to twolined chestnut borers larvae in galleries in (photo on page 49) but are the vascular system 8-10 mm long and a dull and resume feeding in metallic bronze in color. spring as the sap rises. 8 10mm Adults emerge over a period of about 6 weeks 8-10mm beginning in late May or early June when pagoda dogwood and ‘Winter King’ hawthorns are in full bloom. Females lay eggs on the bark, and larvae hatch out and begin boring into the bark around the time that European cranberry- bush viburnum or weigela are in bloom. Larvae form winding galleries in the cambium of the tree, girdling branches and disrupting the flow of water and nutrients in the tree. Larvae may take up to two years to complete their development. Lumpy branch is symptom of bronze birch borer. Bronze birch borer - continued Symptoms: Bronze birch borer injury includes dieback that begins in the upper portion of the tree, a lumpy appearance to branches where galleries are present, and D-shaped exit holes in the bark created by emerging adults. Rusty-colored stains may also be visible on bark in the area of entrance or exit holes. Management: Stressed trees are much more prone to injury. Avoid planting birches in hot, dry sites.
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Bronze Birch Borer: a Toronto Master Gardeners Guide
Bronze Birch Borer: A Toronto Master Gardeners Guide The bronze birch borer (Agrilus anxius) is a beetle native to North America. The borers? larval feeding tunnels under the bark girdle the trunk or branch of the tree and interrupt the flow of nutrients and sap which eventually leads to the tree?s starvation. Older trees or those weakened by environmental stress or other insect infestations are most susceptible to attack. The adult bronze birch borer is a slender, olive-bronze, 10 mm long beetle. The larva is flat-headed, white and 12 mm long. The bronze birch borer can be a serious pest of several species of birch: white or paper birch (Betula papyrifera), grey birch (B. populifolia), and European birch (B. pendula). Symptoms of Bronze Birch Borer The first signs of damage by the bronze birch borer are sparse, yellowing foliage and browning tips on the upper branches of the affected tree. The dieback starts at the top of the tree and works downward. Infested branches may show swollen ridges on the bark, indicating the locations of feeding galleries (conspicuous swollen areas on the trunk are caused by the healing process of a survivor tree). D-shaped exit holes in the bark are a definite sign of the emergence of adult borers. Besides being more resistant to the Birch leafminers also turn the leaves of birch trees brown, but their damage Bronze Birch Borer. river birch (Betula nigra) features peeling bark which adds shows up throughout the tree, not only at the top. Also, although the birch to its interest in all seasons.
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Bronze Birch Borer by the Bartlett Lab Staff Directed by Kelby Fite, Phd
RESEARCH LABORATORY TECHNICAL REPORT Bronze Birch Borer By The Bartlett Lab Staff Directed by Kelby Fite, PhD The bronze birch borer (Agrilus anxius) is a native pest to North America. This insect is found in southern Canada and the northern United States and is a serious pest of native white or paper birch and the European white birch. Bronze birch borer attacks are more frequent on ornamental birches planted in the urban environment than native birches growing in natural forests. Damage Bronze birch borer larvae cause significant feeding injury by producing tunnels beneath the Bronze birch borer is considered an opportunistic pest bark layer. The winding tunnels in the cambium since it usually attacks trees that are weakened due to cause girdling of the stems that disrupts water and drought, stem decay, heavy pruning, and prolonged nutrient transport. Borer larvae produce D-shaped defoliation. Stem and twig dieback that begins in the exit holes in the outer bark as they emerge from upper tree canopy indicate symptoms of tree stress dead or dying stem tissue (Figure 2). (Figure 1). Stressed trees attract bronze borer adults that lay eggs along the main stem and crotches of large Figure 2: D-shaped exit holes on stem branches. Rapid tree dieback and decline ensues once borers invade dead and dying stem tissue. Figure 1: Stem and twig dieback associated with bronze birch borer Description The adult bronze birch borer beetle is flat, elongate in shape, and olive-green to black with a metallic bronze Page 1 of 2 Figure 3: Bronze birch borer adult Control Healthy, vigorous birches are most resistant to bronze birch borer attack.
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Sharpening Observation Skills This Photo Guide Is Part of a Diagnostic Set
BORERS: emerald ash borer & other significant Agrilus species (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) Agrilus spp. all have a characteristic “bullet” or cylindrical shape. Agrilus planipennis Agrilus Agrilus Agrilus Agrilus bilineatus anxius auroguttatus biguttatus emerald ash borer (EAB) twolined chestnut borer bronze birch borer INVASIVE. Metallic green with bronze goldspotted oak borer oak splendor beetle NATIVE. Metallic bronze-black NATIVE. Metallic bronze-black undertones; rarely bluish-green, bluish NATIVE (southeastern Arizona). EXOTIC (not known to be in to dark blue with two distinct with reddish, greenish or or coppery-red. Dorsal abdomen is Metallic dark green with six North America). Similar in white-yellow pubescent purplish undertones. Dorsal bright, coppery-red. Antennal segments gold spots on elytra. appearance to EAB. Metallic 1–3 cylindrical, segments 4–11 serrate. stripes down elytra. Dorsal abdomen is bronze-black. Length: ~10 mm medium green with bronze abdomen is bronze-black. Length: 10–13 mm (generally larger undertones, rarely blue or Length: 5.5–13 mm HOSTS: oaks (Quercus spp.) Length: 4.2–9.5 mm than native Agrilus spp.) gold, and two distinct white HOSTS: birch (Betula spp.) preference for species in red spots on the elytra. HOSTS: oaks (Quercus HOSTS: ash (Fraxinus spp.) oak group. Length: 9–12 mm spp.) chestnut, American INVASIVE (southern California). hornbeam, beech, eastern CA HOSTS: coast live oak, HOSTS: oaks (Quercus spp.), hop hornbeam California black oak, canyon same hosts as the native live oak twolined chestnut borer sharpening observation skills This photo guide is part of a diagnostic set. Visit www.FirstDetector.org for more SHARPENING OBSERVATION SKILLS materials. emerald ash borer “green” look-alikes sweat sharpshooter emerald trogossitid six-spotted dogbane St.
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Parker Arboretum Tree Descriptions Concolor Fir Abies Concolor
Parker Arboretum Tree Descriptions Concolor Fir Abies concolor • Native to the western United States, especially the Rocky Mountain regions. • Pyramidal evergreen with soft, short blue-green needles. Also known as White Fir. • Upright cones are about 5" long, pale green with a deep purplish cast, changing to brown at maturity. • Mature height 60’, spread 25’ Rocky Mountain Maple Acer glabrum • Native range from southeastern Alaska to northern California, east to Idaho and Montana and south to New Mexico. • Small growing ornamental tree, often in a clump (multi stem) form. • Fall color can range from yellow to orange to red. • Mature height 30’, spread 25’ * Bigtooth Maple Acer grandidentatum • Native to the Rocky Mountains. • Small growing ornamental tree/large shrub with five-lobed dark green leaves. • Fall color ranges from yellow to orange to red. • Tolerant of dry, alkaline soils. • Mature height 30’, spread 25’ Paperbark Maple Acer griseum • Native to central China. • Small growing ornamental tree with unique cinnamon-colored, exfoliating bark. • Dark green leaves with a muted red fall color. • Upright, oval growth habit. • Mature height 25’, spread 20’ State Street™ Miyabe Maple Acer miyabei ‘Morton’ (State Street™) • Native to Hokkaido, Japan, selection from the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. • Slow to medium rate of growth, upright ascending branches, cold hardy and adaptable to a wide range of landscape conditions. Excellent substitute for Norway Maple. • Butter yellow to gold-yellow fall color, mottled gray and tan bark. • Mature height 45’, spread 30’ Fairview Maple Acer platanoides ‘Fairview’ • A variety of Norway Maple (originally native to Europe). • Upright branching habit, new foliage is very dark red turning to dark green as the leaf matures; gold fall color.
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Title: Morris Arboretum Emerald Ash Borer Plan
TITLE: MORRIS ARBORETUM EMERALD ASH BORER PLAN: Planning for the Imminent Arrival of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) and its effect on Fraxinus spp; To be Adapted and Modified for Future Impact of Geosmithia morbida, Causal Agent of ‗Thousand Cankers Disease‘ (TCD) on Juglans spp., Vectored by Pityophthorus juglandis (walnut twig beetle) AUTHOR: Rebecca L. Bakker The Martha S. Miller Endowed Urban Forestry Intern DATE: May 2011 ABSTRACT: Are the splendid botanical edifices in arboreta collections archaic? Millennia of poor land management, increased global trade, and climate change, have combined to create radical changes in plant communities and forest ecosystems. As a result, not just individual plants but whole genera are being eradicated. As global trade mounts and more goods are plied overseas, both intentional and accidental cargos have been altering ecosystems around the world. According to a study by Maher in Agricultural and Resource Economics Review (2006), the yearly economic impact of invasive species in the U.S. is estimated at $133.6 billion. One such migrant, the emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis Fairemaire), was identified in 2002 and thought to have arrived via shipping material from China to the U.S.‘s upper Midwest. The consequence has been 100% mortality of all native North American ash exposed to EAB. Since its discovery, the insect has made its way relentlessly east and now approaches eastern Pennsylvania and Morris Arboretum, in particular. Planning for the future of Fraxinus spp. was a luxury not found in the upper Midwest ten years ago, when clouds of unidentified green beetles were noticed feeding on ash trees.
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Betula Nigra, the Long-Lived and Lovely River Birch
Betula nigra, The Long-lived and Lovely River Birch By Gretchen Spencer, Fairfax Master Gardener It’s wonderful to sing the praises of a tree, and there is much to praise about the river birch. We planted our first river birch five years ago, and it quickly became a focal point in the backyard, with its wonderful exfoliating bark and graceful arching branches. That cultivar, ‘Heritage,’ was followed a few years later with three smaller ‘Dura-Heat’ river birches. Now we have a grove of river birches to admire all year around! So let’s sing the praises of this tree! River birches are adaptable to a range of soil conditions. While they prefer soils that are moist and acidic, they will adapt to drier conditions. They also will grow in heavy clay soil. In their native habitat, they can be found growing along streams, in flood plains, and in swampy areas. River birches can also tolerate heat and drought, although they may drop their leaves early in drought conditions. Watering deeply and providing a layer of mulch are beneficial in these conditions. A river birch will grow in full sun to photo: by author part shade. River Birch ‘Heritage’ The river birch grows about 40 to 80 feet high and 40 to 60 feet wide. There are both multi-stemmed and single-stemmed varieties. The glossy, 2- to 3-inch leaves are irregularly oval with doubly toothed margins. They turn yellow in the fall. A river birch bears both male and female flowers. The male catkins appear on the ends of the twigs in the fall and mature in the spring.
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Bronze Birch Borer (A2692)
A2692 Birch disorder: Bronze birch borer R.C. WILLIAMSON and P.J. PELLITTERI Life cycle 3 Bronze birch borer (Agrilus beetles. They are ⁄8 inch long with anxius Gory) is a serious pest of birch Bronze birch borers belong to a blunt heads and pointed bodies. trees in the Midwest. It can severely group of beetles called the metallic Adult females live for 3 weeks and injure or kill most birch species; wood borers because of the adult deposit eggs under loose bark or in European white birch varieties are beetles’ iridescent color. They spend cracks or crevices on the trunk. particularly susceptible. the winter as larvae in small cells just Eggs hatch within 2 weeks, and Like most wood-boring beetles, beneath the bark. Full-grown larvae larvae bore into the tree and feed on the bronze birch borer is really a sec- are 1⁄2–1 inch long, white, and slender the inner and outer wood layers. ondary problem. It usually attacks with dark brown jaws. They have a Larvae usually reach maturity by late trees under stress or in a weakened slightly flattened, enlarged area fall. However, predicting wood condition because of drought, directly behind the head, and two borers’ exact stage of growth at any disease, nutrient deficiency, construc- brownish projections on the last given time of year is not possible; tion injury, or excessive exposure to segment of the body. factors like tree vigor and weather the sun. Planting birch in a poor loca- Larvae pupate in spring and conditions make it possible to find all tion is the most common reason for adults emerge during May, June, and larval stages during winter.
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Contingency Plan for the Bronze Birch Borer (Agrilus Anxius)
Contingency Plan for the Bronze Birch Borer (Agrilus anxius) Bronze Birch Borer: Contingency plan INTRODUCTION 1. Serious or significant pests require strategic-level plans, developed at a national level, describing the overall aim and high-level objectives to be achieved and the response strategy for either eradicating or containing an outbreak. 2. Following identification by the National Plant Health Risk Register, the Plant Health Risk Group (PHRG) has commissioned pest-specific contingency plans for those pests that pose the greatest risk and require stakeholder consultation. The Forestry Commission is also prioritising plans which require updating, including the plan for the Bronze Birch Borer. 3. The purpose of pest-specific contingency plans is to ensure a rapid and effective response to an outbreak of the pest or disease described. 4. Contingency planning starts with the anticipation and assessment of potential threats, includes preparation and response, and finishes with recovery. Anticipation 5. Researching sources of information and intelligence about the pest, including horizon scanning. Assessment 6. Identifying concerns and the preparation of plans. 7. Setting outbreak objectives. Preparation 8. Ensuring staff and stakeholders are familiar with the pest. Response 9. Implementing the requirements to either contain or eradicate, including work to determine success. Recovery 10. Identifying when the response strategy has been effective, or when the response is not considered feasible, cost effective or beneficial. 2 | Bronze Birch Borer Contingency Plan | Liz Poulsom | 20/01/2016 Bronze Birch Borer: Contingency plan 11. The Defra Contingency Plan for Plant Health in England (in draft 2015) gives details of the teams and organisations involved in pest response in England, and of their responsibilities and governance.
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